


we don't belong here

by qkdxksthsuseks



Category: Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z, Powerpuff Girls, Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi (Webcomic)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Based on a deviant post, Explicit Sexual Content, Obsessive Behavior, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Swearing, Unresolved Sexual Tension, if you read it you'll understand lol, is that even a thing?? lol, kind of, so blossom is in a relationship with dexter and it's abusive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 1950-01-08
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-08-21 12:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16576499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qkdxksthsuseks/pseuds/qkdxksthsuseks
Summary: The world hated Brick. He knew that. It always hated him.Blossom takes a step back and realizes she's not a part of her world anymore.//"Why did you come back to Cityville?" Blossom asked.Brick paused. "To see you," he smirked. "To thank you and to say good bye for the last time."The way he said "last time" made her throat dry. She stared at Brick, sitting across her, his arms crossed. He breathed hoarsely, his eyes fixed somewhere else. And then he lifted his eyes and a wry smile surfaced. It was the sad kind of smile that made her heart wrench. The kind that tickled her heart and made her shiver. Even in the midst of chaos, Brick had that effect on her.//In which an evil demon is in the shape of Dexter and good lies in the name Rowdyruff.





	1. reunion

"Hey, Blossom." 

"Blossom?" 

"Blossom!" 

Blossom looked up from her paper work, showing a warm smile. She used to be Blossom Utonium, part of the popular Powerpuff Girls. She still was, nothing in her superhero identity had become less. She was just now no longer the reckless, passionate teenager that loved to roam Cityville around with her powers in exhibit. She was still Blossom, just an older, matured Blossom. She was twenty one and three hundred sixty days old. 

If she had walked down the streets, anyone could recognize her. The fiery beautiful flowing hair. The lemonade pink eyes that glistened in the night. The iconic and symbolic red bow had been removed and it was removed for a long time. She had "outgrown" in her own words. She now preferred a plain white over cotton candy pink, boots over heels, and still loved her sisters to death and back.

"Hi, Dexter," Blossom smiled.  
  
"I was getting scared you were deaf," Dexter chuckled. 

"Sorry," Blossom replied. "What were you saying?" 

"I just wanted to congratulate you." 

Dexter gave a wide sweet smile. Blossom stared at her friend for a long time, a confused expression on her face. Looking at her confusion, Dexter pulled out his phone. A news article was flashing across the bright screen. The room was dark, the dimly lit lamp was her only source of brightness. With the phone in her face, Blossom thought she was going to be blind. Her eyes glazed over the article and its contents. Her smile slowly turned into a frown unconsciously. Something upturned in her stomach. She felt sick.

 _THE KILLING OF THE ROWDYRUFFS, ONE YEAR AGO._ The name made her want to throw up. The killing of the Rowdyruffs. Was that how people remember that murder as? She still remembered the rain pouring on her flesh, her dangerously cold eyes scanning the streets. She felt her skin turning ghostly white from the cold. But she didn't feel that. The only thing she remembered was those red, blazing red eyes staring at her. The tattered, broken look on -

"You killed Brick, remember?" Dexter chirped. 

"Y-Yes," Blossom murmured, looking away. 

There was more to that story than just a justified murder. The rain was pouring and she and her sisters were young. The Cityville's Town Hall had specifically instructed the murder of the Rowdyruffs, because they sensed that the infamous brothers were planning to run away - to another dimension. There was no catching if they had ran away to another dimension. Blossom had overlooked the mission years ago. The concept of murder was clouded in her head for the longest time. 

It was only moments before facing the doors of death she realized what death was. The fact that she couldn't meet her loved ones anymore. And the expression, it was the expression that forced her into hesitation. Because he was a brother to someone, a loved one to someone. Did she really have the right to take the life of another? She still remembered ordering her sisters to separate and return with a corpse each - they ended to discarding the corpse from the public. At the moment she never found anything wrong, saying the words, "Bring the Rowdyruffs dead." 

"You must be so happy, killing a villain like that," Dexter said, staring at her. 

"Umm, I guess," Blossom whispered. 

"Blossom, remember, Brick was a demon. He deserved to die." 

Dexter's words didn't make it any less guilty for Blossom. Blossom's head snapped at Dexter at the word 'demon'. He didn't know Brick like she did. Dexter didn't know Brick at all. The only time Dexter saw him in real life, up close, was when Brick and Blossom crashed into his lab from the sky after a heavy combat. He had casted a disapprovingly look in her direction and scoffed at their antics. 

Blossom just slightly nodded her head, neither denying or affirming Dexter's statement. She didn't want to anger Dexter, he was somewhat uncomfortable when he was angry. She turned her gaze back to her paperwork, signing and filling out more forms. Her philosophy was that the older you get, the more forms you have to fill out. 

"Blossom." 

"Hmm?" 

"Do you wanna go watch this movie with me tomorrow?" 

Blossom looked at the movie tickets in Dexter's hands and looked up at Dexter's hopeful twinkling eyes. She felt something churn in her stomach, a strong sense of disagreement. She didn't necessarily hate Dexter, she liked him a lot - but those feelings where only limited to a friendship. She didn't wish anything improve between them, she liked things how it was. She was aware of Dexter's feelings for her and she tried to drop a hint now and then. 

She gave a shrug. 

"Sorry, I'm meeting my sisters tomorrow," Blossom explained. 

Dexter was in thought for a moment. "Did you talk to me about this in prior?"

Blossom froze momentarily at the language of his voice. Dexter's face was smiling and his tone was sweet but it was discreetly stoic and controlling. Blossom was scared of the relationship she and Dexter's was turning into. He became a little more manipulative, a little more controlling, and slightly more foreign. Blossom missed the old Dexter, the innocent, serene one that only cared about experiments and nature. 

"I'm sorry, I'll tell you next time," she smiled. 

Dexter stared at Blossom as she turned her gaze, wondering how beautiful she could be. He moved his hand up and tucked a wisp of her hand behind her ear, smiling at how she flinched at his touch. In his inner lab coat pocket, he pulled out a pen - or at least what looked like a pen - and clicked it on and off. It was the smallest camera ever invented, made for private reasons, made by Dexter. He wanted to capture this moment, this picture of Blossom. 

He couldn't wait until she was completely his, in and out. 

* * *

Blossom smiled as she cheerfully ordered a menu, glancing at the waiter, giving warm smiles and nodding encouraging. The waiter, obviously mesmerized, took her order and turned to the next one. He thought he was being bamboozled. A pretty one next to a pretty one and  _another_ pretty one. After taking all the Powerpuff's order, he left with a smile on his face. Almost everyone in the restaurant was staring the beautiful sisters, amazed. 

Bubbles never changed much in personality, Blossom thought. But she was the most flexible with her looks. She always had pigtails, sure, but it would go from short to long, wavy to straight, at any point of the day. She still favored baby blue over any color and tried to color code all her outfits. Today she came out with a baby blue dress - she loved dresses, enough to start her own clothing line only consisting of blue clothes. 

Buttercup, on the other hand, changed the most. She went through various phases, starting with the "Only Black Clothes Allowed" phase and then "Punk" and then it was whatever she called her phase now. She had grown her hair longer, which turned from black to dark brown in the years. It bounced off her shoulders and everytime she got annoyed with her hair, she would cut an inch off. She still liked sports and liked the color green. She was Buttercup, after all. 

"I  _told_ you," Buttercup snarled. "Dexter is a dick." 

"Language!" Bubbles hissed. 

"It's true, admit it," Buttercup rolled her eyes. 

"Okay, yeah, be careful of him, Blossom." 

Blossom knew her sisters were saying this for her own safety. She saw Dexter's glances towards, lust-filled and hungry, like most men. She thought she was used to it by now but it made her uncomfortable that it was coming from Dexter. She got that from strangers. The look in their eyes when they wanted something from you, wanted to take advantage of her powers. Because no body was her equal beside her sisters. 

"Did you see this?" Buttercup asked, showing the article Dexter had shown her yesterday. 

"Yeah," Bubbles replied nonchalantly. 

"Wow, can't believe it's already a year," Buttercup commented. 

"I know," Blossom laughed. "It feels like yesterday." 

It did. It really did. But she didn't feel any guilt in the actions she took that night. The only guilt she felt was the fact that she couldn't tell the full secret of that night to anyone but her sisters dragged her on. What she did was right. It didn't change that. But the dark secrets that lurked in that night, the fact that the citizens drank a poisoned victory, celebrating the defeat of "evil" with the murder made her sick. Murder was murder. 

"I don't regret it," Bubbles quietly said. 

"Me neither," Buttercup remarked.  

* * *

"We should do this again, sisters," Bubbles smiled. 

"Of course, Bubbles would want to do it again," Buttercup laughed. 

Blossom just quietly listened to her sisters bicker because it made her feel normal. She checked her phone to find thirty texts from Dexter demanding where she was. What  _was_ his deal? He was constantly "worried" about where she was. But the last text alarmed her the most. 

_Ask Bubbles if she actually killed Boomer._

Why was he asking that? Blossom froze to her spot and quietly called her sisters. She could feel the blood in her veins becoming ice cold, killing her. The night became  _that_ night. Rain started pouring and started making her cold and wet. The dark was churning in her mind. As she showed the screen to Bubbles, she turned ghostly white. Her pupil dilated. The first to take action was Buttercup, like always. 

"I'll go talk to Dexter," she snapped. "You two stay here." 

"I need to check something," Bubbles whispered. 

And like  _that_ night, the sisters split. Blossom watched them as they ran through the rain. She felt fear gripping her heart, and intense hatred growing once more. That night's emotions coursed through her blood once again. The remorse. The pain. The sympathy. The choices she made. What did Dexter mean? Was he accusing Bubbles of not killing Boomer? Was he suggesting something to her? 

Blossom stood in the rain thinking and thinking. She couldn't move without having her thoughts collected. Then she realized that the rain had stopped. No, she could still hear the rain pattering on the streets. She looked up and saw and umbrella. She turned around, cautious, incredulous at the fact that she didn't hear the stranger coming. 

And then her heart stopped. 

"Shhh." 

The same passionate red eyes bored into hers, laced with a sinister look. The red messy hair was still as messy and his eyes were still as passionate. She looked up at his face, finding him amused. Brick. Brick Jojo. Brick Rowdyruff. He had changed but he was just how she would expect him to grow into: a tall, handsome, muscular man. 

This was the secret that the Powerpuff Girls kept from the world. 

That they never really killed the Rowdyruffs. 

"Brick?" 

"Blossom." 

Blossom noticed rain dripping on his shoulders so pulled him closer into the umbrella. She was still mind blown, still insanely understanding what this meant. They let the Rowdyruff Boys go under one condition, that they'd never return. What did this mean? Did this mean they are trying to kill themselves? A critical question flashed across her mind as she recalled Dexter's text. 

"Is Boomer here too?" she asked. 

"Yes, Red, and he's in danger," Brick said in a low voice, smirking. "I need to go now." 

"Brick," Blossom said. 

She grabbed the end of his sleeve as he tried to turn away. Brick looked back, the side of his face dripping with rain. His eyes were the fire in the rain, the storm in the calm. He stared at Blossom. She stared back at him, consternation hitting her face. She felt Brick hand the umbrella to her, curling her fingers around it. 

"Right, the umbrella," he smirked. "Always trying to take everything from me, Red." 

"No, take me with you," Blossom cried. "My sisters are there too." 

"Bubbles and Buttercup?" 

Brick's expression changed a little, more concerning. He seemed to be thinking. Blossom stared at his face. If Dexter had located Boomer, he was most likely trying to capture him and kill him. And if Buttercup had reached Dexter's place by now, she would be creating the biggest ruckus of the world. And if Bubbles realized all of this, she would trying to do anything to get Boomer out of that chaos. It was strange how she didn't hear any explosion by now. 

"Take your girlfriend, Brick. We need her." 

From the shadows another figure walked out with an umbrella. Forest green eyes, tainted smirk, jet black hair. Butch. Blossom was internally amazed at how little he had changed since his teenage years. He looked bored and indifferent, like always. He walked closer to his brother, his eyes cool and set. It took Blossom a moment that Butch called her Brick's girlfriend. She raised a cocky eye brow at Butch, who shrugged in return. 

"You heard her, Bubbles and Buttercup are there too." 

"I don't want to make this a bigger deal than it already is," Brick hissed back. 

"Too late, blame it on Boomer, he's the one that's love sick," Butch snorted. 

After a pause, Brick spat, "Fine." 

Brick turned to Blossom and grabbed her hand. His eyes were condensing and deep, like always. He looked like a hero going into war. Blossom suddenly realized what was happening. Butch and Brick showing up at Dexter's inevitably meant that they were alive, that the Powerpuff Girls had failed to keep her mission. She glanced at Butch. She was alright with Brick, she can take the responsibility alone. But what about Buttercup? What about Bubbles? 

"Butch, I don't think you should come," Blossom quietly said. "Buttercup would get in trouble." 

Butch glared at her incredulously. "Nuh uh, I'm going." 

And like that, he zapped into the sky. Before Blossom could think, she was always zapped into the sky, Brick still holding her hand. She squeezed his encouragingly. They had a lot of stuff to talk about, between the two of them.  


	2. love, love, love

Bubbles ran through the cold rainy night. Darkness enveloped her as she ran through the familiar streets, tripped over the same trash cans, and ran out of breath. She didn't expect her body to remember the ways, but it did. She was confused for a second and the next moment, she was running through the route, a route only two people on earth knew. She remembered. And she remembered  _him_ as well. 

"Please, please," Bubbles whispered to herself as her cold, frozen fingers ran through the bricks. Her nails got rough and dirt went under it as her fingers desperately clawed into the secrets. NO. She couldn't have forgotten where it was. She came all the way and, and... 

_Click._

Relief washed over her cold body as a brick piece prominently slid out. Bubbles could feel her wet hair slapping on her pale flesh. And she shivered as she put a hand into the open space. She definitely clawed into the emptiness until she felt something dry and crisp. She immediately grabbed the parchment and pulled it out. She gingerly unfolded the piece of paper. 

Rain drops started covering the paper. Bubbles desperately read the contents. Her heart melted. 

_I'm back. I hope you're fine, too. I'll leave soon, don't worry._

Perfect cursive, tidied into one perfect line. Bubbles started crying as soon as she read it. She felt something wet stream across her cheeks, but she didn't know if it was her tears or the rain. This was  _his._ It was his handwriting. He had written this, probably some twenty four hours ago. The thought made her heart ache so much. The thought that Boomer Rowdyruff, had stood right in the spot, remembering this place like her, and had put in the note. 

She was the "nicest" of the Powerpuff Girls. And she and Boomer clicked the most. They were immediately pulled by each other, by everything each other said. He was new to this and his only way of attention was bullying her. It took her many years to realize that he liked her like she did. And when she had enough courage, it was too late. He was gone from her world, he was dead to the authorities. The last and least thing she did was sparing his life that night. 

_"If anything happens, I'll leave you a note."_

That was his last words before he disappeared into the darkness. He had held her hand, his eyes holding a million different unspoken and unheld promises. Maybe if she had been a little braver, a little more reckless, she might've caught him. But she didn't, she had watched the love of her life slip away through her fingers, because of her impatience, because of her cowardliness. 

The least she could do was protect him. 

Bubbles, clutching the note, sprang into the air, her skin glowing blue. She flashed straight into Dexter's lab. Her heart was gripped with fear. She had seen Dexter. Blossom didn't see it, not just yet, but he was evil. He was filled with evil inside his heart and was always hungry. She was always perplexed by him. She didn't expect him to spare any mercy if he found out Boomer was alive. He would black mail her, he would black mail Blossom, into doing whatever he wanted. 

None of his sisters really saw people they way she did. They just assumed Bubbles, the nicest one, saw the good in everyone. But she didn't in Dexter. And she saw a lot in Boomer. Her sisters adored him, thinking he was "cute". But Bubbles saw the imperfections in him and fell in love with that. He had the constant good will and the subtle playfulness. 

"Dexter," Bubbles said as she pushed the door open. It was already open. Bubbles suspected Buttercup had already arrived. "Buttercup?" 

"I'm here." 

Bubbles turned to the kitchen where Buttercup was sipping a cup of warm coffee. Across her sat Dexter, smiling sweetly. He raised an eye brow and smiled. 

"Hello, Bubbles," Dexter smiled. 

"We were just talking about why he sent the text," Buttercup smiled sickly sweet. Her eyes glared at Dexter. "So, Dexter, why  _did_ you send the text?" She looked like she could murder someone right there. Bubbles saw Buttercup squeeze the coffee cup a little more tightly, with a little more anger. 

"Oh, so it's a long story, really," Dexter said. Bubbles stood by the edge of the kitchen, her hand gripping the wall in fear. "So, I've been studying more about your chemicals and supernatural components. Who knows, another set of demons like the Rowdyruffs might one day come to our world, after all." Bubbles flinched at the word "demons" and "Rowdyruffs". "So I have a radar set up in town if any super natural comes up. There used to be three. You two and Blossom."

There  _used_ to be. 

The sentence sent chills down her spine. 

"But this morning, I detected three more. And one was in close proximity so I tried my newest weapon to see if it worked," Dexter smiled and clapped his hands together. "And guess what? The guy called himself Boomer Jojo. Isn't that a little weird, Bubbles? Since you killed him a year ago." 

"I-uh-yes," Bubbles managed to spit out. Her heart was flooded with fear. Boomer. He was here. He was caught. It was hard trying to look like she was happy about all of this. She glanced at Buttercup, desperate for help but Buttercup looked awfully conflicted too. The number three echoed in both of their minds. Not just Boomer, but Butch and Brick as well. This made things more complicated than they intended. 

"Oh, so it's not a big deal," Dexter smiled. "Must be another supernatural that is filled with evil intentions, right? Because you said you killed him." 

"Y-Yes," Bubbles replied. 

"Great! This settles everything!" Dexter clapped his hands together. "Because I tortured him and killed him an hour ago." 

Bubbles thought her heart stopped. 

It didn't register for a moment. Boomer was never someone that could die in her mind. He was vulnerable and exposed a lot of the times, but never weak. He was strong. She never imagined a world without him, although she thought experienced that world the past year. First filled wet sadness, she felt tears springing in her eyes again, and suddenly became conscious that she was still wet. 

Then hot white anger filled her. Her eyes glowed in anguished blue as she ran for Dexter's throat. Before her hands could reach his throat, he smiled and threw something - a chip - at her. It clung to her skin, and Bubbles stopped in that moment. She felt a flash of pain piercing her body and she fell down, crying in anguish. She sobbed into the floor, retching and moaning as pain continued to course through her veins. She felt as though someone was ripping her heart out again and again. She couldn't think, she could only feel pain. 

"Dexter, what the - " Buttercup shrilled and soon enough she was on the ground as well, paralyzed and screeching in pain. 

And all of a sudden, the pain stopped. Bubbles lay panting for oxygen. She glared at Dexter from the ground as she tried to claw the chip away. It seemed to be implanted into her skin in such a short amount of time. Her eyes were blood shot and she crawled up, her chest heaving up and down. She saw a demon inside Dexter. She was scared. She wanted to run away. 

"What's wrong, Bubbles?" Dexter smiled. "Oh, is your sister alright?" 

Bubbles looked horrified as she glanced at her sister beside her. Buttercup was shrilling in pain, her fingers bled as she dug into the floor, her body burst in green flames. Bubbles reached out and squeezed Buttercup's hand, her eyes streaming tears. Buttercup released a short, piercing scream before stop moving completely. A terrible noise came from her throat. 

"Oops, maybe that was too much," Dexter cried. He checked his watch. "Ooh, I think the rest are coming to the show now." 

Bubbles hugged Buttercup, crying. She felt so powerless. She couldn't do anything. Literally, her powers didn't... work. It was the chip, it drained her energy. She sobbed into her sister's hair, hoping to find a heart beat. Please don't die. Please don't die. Not you too. She had already lost Boomer, she couldn't bear another death, not of someone so special to her again. 

"Dexter?" 

Bubbles turned around and saw Blossom. Her eyes glazed over her sisters and horror struck her expression. Behind her was Butch. For a moment, Bubbles thought it was Boomer. The mistake made her more pained. 

"Hey, Blossom, oh there's Butch too," Dexter smiled. 

Bubbles couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. The only thing she remembered was Butch yelling at Dexter with all sorts of curse words of any language and Dexter being unwavered. Blossom pleading to make Buttercup better again. She watched as Butch took Buttercup into his arms, tenderly tucking stray strand of hair behind her hair. Bubbles smiled faintly, unable to hear the noise. She wished Boomer was back again. She missed him. 

In her muted moments, Blossom grabbed Bubbles's hands, yelling words her ears couldn't hear. When Bubbles indicated that she couldn't hear, Blossom made hasty hand motions that didn't really make any sense. The last thing she remembered was Dexter's Lab being completely exploded and Brick crawling out from the remnants, holding on to someone blue. 

Boomer. 

That was her last memory. 

 


	3. long farewell's

Blossom thought she was prepared for anything. Dexter wouldn't kill Boomer, he wouldn't. Dexter wouldn't hurt his sisters, he shouldn't. And now all those stringy last hopes of him was shattered and shredded apart, too much and too close to her. She saw the expression on his face, smiling. He looked proud of himself and he looked at her, expecting her to share his happiness. His happiness was murdering Boomer. His happiness was defeating two Powerpuff Girls effortlessly. Blossom saw the monster inside him. 

"Blossom, aren't you proud?" Dexter laughed. "I finally got rid of your sisters." 

His eyes glinted dangerously at the moment as his eyes wavered across Butch. Blossom stood between him and everyone else, in hopes that it would deter him, even if it's the slightest bit. She couldn't understand what was happening to her friend. "Dexter, what are you doing?" 

"I love you, Blossom," Dexter tilted his head. "And I can't wait for you to be mine." 

And then the place exploded. Blossom had stood there, fear gripping her heart as she watched the genuine expression on Dexter's face, the love in his eyes. He was a psychopath. And just as she could move again, everything was too slow too late. Boomer looked like a corpse, Bubbles passed out, Buttercup was being carried by Butch. They had literally just met. She had just met Brick. She had just met Butch. And yet everything was happening too fast. She didn't have time to catch up.

"Red," Brick's voice came through the cloud. 

"Brick," she choked, her voice pained. The rain washed over her sadness, drowning her inside. She stood there for a long time, Bubbles in her arms, staring at Brick. Brick's eyes seemed to be burning even in the rain. His eyes glittered across her face and she wanted to hold his fire in her eyes for a little more. It made her calm. It made her think. 

"Brick!" 

"Let's go," Brick hoarsely whispered. 

* * *

When they arrived at their safe haven, Blossom didn't feel anything. She wasn't even tired. She just wanted to sit down and think and think. Think about what to do with Dexter. What she should do. So when she put Bubbles into bed and Buttercup down on the couch, she was mindless. She lost what to think about. What was she going to do anyways? Let Dexter go unscathed or spare her sisters from more pain. 

"I'm going to beat the shit out of Dexter, I'll be back by twelve," Butch spat. Blossom watched as Brick placed a hand on Butch's shoulder, his gaze condensing and his voice low and stern. Butch exploded into green flames but Brick didn't look wavered by it. 

"Buttercup needs you," Brick said. "Do it for her, if not for Boomer." 

Blossom watched as Butch slowly backed down and went to the room, ruffed up and muted down. Brick sat down across Blossom, arms crossed. His gaze met hers. Blossom returned the steely gaze, wondering how in the world she let the mess get this far. If it was just ten hours ago, she would've never imagined to be sitting in a strange compartment across Brick, with her sisters immobilized and Boomer dying. It was weird. She looked at Brick, who didn't even blink. What was he thinking? 

"You need to sleep, Red," Brick remarked. 

"I don't," Blossom returned the comment. 

"Don't think, we'll handle this in the morning." 

And silence settled in. First she just wanted to do nothing and sit down for a long time. Then secondly she just wanted to go to her bedroom, her apartment, and fill herself with familiar surroundings. She wanted to feel comforted. She wanted to feel something familiar. Blossom hugged her knees, her fiery red hair fanning around her like a dome. 

"My brothers and I used to live here," Brick started. His eyes were far and distant, as if recalling soft memories. "It was pretty crazy, I guess. The three of us in this small place. But we survived." He showed the hint of a smile, his eyes crinkling a little as he turned his gaze back to Blossom. Blossom didn't understand why he did that. Every single moment they've been reunited, he had this...  _look_ on his face. A weird kind of look. 

"I didn't know," Blossom responded. 

She didn't know a lot of things. She didn't know Bubbles had liked Boomer until he was dead. She didn't know Butch cared so much about Buttercup until she almost died. It was weird how revelations came to her at the brink of someone's death. A year ago, she didn't realize that she was not strong enough and not broken enough to heartlessly murder Brick. It was strange, really strange. 

"How have you been?" Brick smirked, knowing too well that the question was a few hours too late. 

"I don't know, at least not anymore," Blossom replied. 

Brick smirked. "You know, I thought I would never come back and see you." His eyes were bittersweet and his voice was deep. Blossom looked up at him, curiosity filling her mind. "Me and my brothers realized that we needed to come back to Cityville, one way or another. We needed things to do." His voice got quieter as he went on. "Boomer wanted to pick up the memories of his past life here. The little tid bits. You know he's sentimental." His voice was bitter, almost angry at Boomer. "Butch... never said why he needed to be here. I didn't ask. He probably wanted to see Buttercup one last time in case he forgot." 

Blossom raised an eye brow. 

"Butch lost his memories for a short while," Brick explained. Blossom felt remorse building inside her. "He was convincing himself to forget what happened that day, and he did, in a way. He couldn't remember Buttercup at all for three days." Brick had the calmest and the most emotionless expression on his face. What was he thinking, really? "It was hard, Butch wondering what the name Buttercup was supposed to mean. When he remembered, he couldn't do anything but swear to never forget."

"Your brothers are both really warm," Blossom smiled bitterly. "I know you think they're stupid but they're beautiful. In their own way." 

"I guess," Brick said. "They're brave, but at the wrong times. The world's cursed them." 

"And you?" 

Brick paused for a long time and looked at Blossom. He stood up abruptly and sat down next to Blossom. She watched him strangely. Years ago Brick wasn't that hard to read; he was loud and wanted to fight. Was an introvert but wasn't afraid to shoot insults. This Brick was still him, the same muted loudness, the same introverted persona, the same will to win any fight. But he was slightly different. He was no longer... unmasked. This Brick was masked. And she didn't understand why or how to get it off. 

"I don't want to be brave," Brick looked straight ahead. "One of us has to take the blame for our past." 

"Why did you come back to Cityville?" Blossom asked. 

Brick paused. "To see you," he smirked. "To thank you and to say good bye for the last time." 

The way he said "last time" made her throat dry. She stared at Brick, sitting across her, his arms crossed. He breathed hoarsely, his eyes fixed somewhere else. And then he lifted his eyes and a wry smile surfaced. It was the sad kind of smile that made her heart wrench. The kind that tickled her heart and made her shiver. Even in the midst of chaos, Brick had that effect on her. 

"Thank you, Blossom," Brick smiled. "I will always be thankful for you. For you, I can move the whole world for you. And I will." His eyes were so determined, she didn't dare want to deny him. "I can do everything for you. You saved my life, you saved my brothers. I know it's probably a shitty timing to tell you this, but I am thankful." His smile was strained now. 

Somehow, this disappointed Blossom. The fact that his only feeling for her were tied to his gratitude for her saving his brothers lives. It felt so restricting and reduced. Something inside her churned but she didn't know what it was. 

"And I'll say good bye." His words alarmed her. "But I won't, not yet. I will, later." 

A small wave of relief lapped in her heart. She wasn't ready to let him go, probably, not just yet anyways. She still needed him. She needed to talk to him. And perhaps without him, she wouldn't have gotten this far. With her sisters down, she needed him the most. He, she could rely. She felt her hands trembling softly at the overwhelming fear crashing into her mind. What could she do with Dexter? He could kill all of them with he wanted. 

Hot, silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared into the dark. 

"Don't cry, Red," Brick softly murmured. 

He stood up and crouched low in front of her, his hands touching hers, not grabbing. She hastily wiped her tears away, somewhat embarrassed or ashamed - or both. She suppressed to make a single noise and simply looked down at Brick. His eyes glowed faintly and a soft, warm smile lit on his face. His eyes crinkled. It reminded her that he used to smile like this, that she almost forgot how he did this to her. 

"Don't leave me," she softly cried. 

"I won't. Not until you tell me to," Brick responded. 

* * *

The first thing Buttercup felt was the immense pain washing over her body again and again. They were like radioactive waves, consistently stinging her whole body with pain, repeatedly. Her eyes opened and it glowed in the dark as she stared blankly into the ceiling. The first thing she felt was pain and the second thing was anger. Anger and hatred filled up her body as she lied there, thinking about how Dexter tortured her and her sisters. The last thing she remembered was trying to help Bubbles. And... was there something else too? 

Something that made her want to cry? 

"Buttercup," Blossom ushered to her as Buttercup strained every muscle in her body to sit up. She felt so powerless and she was. She couldn't feel the chemical x flowing in her blood vessels, she couldn't feel her confidence. Groaning, she managed to stand up, scared that her legs might to weak any moment - it felt like it would. She clung to Blossom desperately. 

"Where are we? What happened?" her voice was like a broken song. 

"We're somewhere safe," Blossom replied. "Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?" 

Everywhere hurt. But Buttercup didn't understand why her heart was crying. She pressed her hands against her forehead. She remembered yelling at Dexter, the pain shooting up in her veins, and that was it. She looked around and finally saw  _them._ Bubbles lying peacefully - almost in the deadly way - on the bed, her whole skin red. Her eyes settled on Boomer or what would've been Boomer if he wasn't covered in blood. And Brick. 

"Rowdyruff?" her voice croaked. 

"Hi, Buttercup," Brick answered in his low melancholy voice. He was definitely talking to her but his eyes were pinned on Blossom like always. Buttercup attempted to stand up before giving up helplessly. Something pumped into her veins as a realization struck her head. Her throat became dry and her eyes started to water. A poisonous pain fluttered in her chest. 

"Where's Butch?" 

She was met with silence. 

"Is B-Butch even - " 

"Buttercup." 

Something hit the floor. 

Buttercup craned her neck, her eyes turning red. There stood Butch, a cut on his cheek, blood on his knuckles, clothes burnt, hair bad, tears in his eyes. He opened his mouth and closed it multiple times before taking strong, big strides and knelt before her. Before she could take in what was happening, his arms came around her fragile shoulders and he held her tight. His face dug into her collarbone. 

"I thought I lost you," he sobbed. 

Buttercup felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she pulled him closer. 

_\- wanna play catch, butters?_

_\- anytime, butch._

He was her bestfriend. 

That was the secret no one knew. 

"Don't you dare die on me," Butch's cracked voice muffled into her hair. "You promised you won't die on me." 

Buttercup forced a smile as she placed both hands on his face, feeling how rough his skin was under her hands. She laughed a little, a crack of sincerity as she ruffled up his hair like she used to do. "Of course not, bud," she managed to say. "I won't. I promise you." 

And that's when she realized Blossom was glaring at her.

"Buttercup, sit back down, you're in no shape to walk," Blossom crossed her arms. "And Butch stop squeezing the breath out of her, she will die." At her order, the two obliged and Brick chuckled a little. "Buttercup, don't move a single muscle in your body and stay right there, I'll get you some soft food." With that she left the room, a sigh of relief washing out of here. Brick followed her with his eyes until she disappeared. Then he proceeded to watch his brother. 

"Did it hurt?" Butch asked.

"Like hell," Buttercup smirked. "Actually, no, I don't remember much."

"Can you take it off?" 

"Maybe. Lemme try." 

Buttercup raised her hand for the side of her neck and gingerly touched the chip embedded into her skin. No, not embedded. It was as if it was just placed on her skin. Maybe it wouldn't be that hard or painful to take it off. But as soon as she applied pressure, she felt a stinging pain coursing through her body. Her fingers trembles as she coughed, as she coughed out blood. Butch grabbed her hand. 

"Stop." 

Buttercup put her hand on her mouth and gasped in air. She felt the air suddenly become tense around, her stomach churning and her throat burning. At the corner of her eyes she saw Brick alert and alarmed, ready to prance into motion - even if that meant killing her for the lesser pain. She stopped and there was a sickening pause momentarily as she stopped breathing altogether. The pain washed away. 

A beat. 

"We're not doing that again," Buttercup gave a wry smile. 

"I'm sorry," Butch replied, pained. 

"It only stings." She waved her hand like it didn't matter at all. But it did. 

Blossom entered now and Buttercup wiped her bloody hand on her jeans and put on a smile. Blossom knitted her eye brows and wordlessly handed her a bowl of soup. Buttercup swatted the spoon away and chugged the hot liquid by bowl. When she was done she placed the bowl on the ground and gave Blossom a wordless thumbs-up. Blossom gave a weak smile as she shook her head slightly. 

"So what's the plan, are we killing Dexter?" Buttercup cracked her knuckles.

"We egg his house with his organs," Butch suggested with a wide smile. 

"No, unrealistic," Brick shook his head. 

"Can we break his legs and arms?" Buttercup's eyes twinkled. 

"That'll probably come later," Brick answered. 

"Let's sell his organs in the black - " 

"I'll go talk to him." 

They all simultaneously stared at Blossom, dreading the worst. Blossom didn't look surprised or wavered at all as she took a sip of her coffee. Her eyes were empty because she had already seen a lot of the horrors in the world. She didn't have a choice anymore, it had to be her, it couldn't be anyone else. It  _had_ to be her. If Dexter listened to anyone, it should be her, it would be her. 

"I'm not going to let that happen," Brick said in a solemn tone. 

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Brick," Buttercup agreed. 

Blossom shook her head. "You guys won't understand. Dexter won't hurt me," she sighed. "He might listen - " 

"Because he loves you?" Buttercup shrilled, her voice cracking. The air went stiff and Brick flinched at the word  _love._ He tilted his head and met Blossom's eyes. She looked at him momentarily before looking at Buttercup. She fixed her posture and crossed her arms, nodding slowly but defiantly. 

"He loves me," Blossom said quietly. "You know it, Buttercup." 

Buttercup stared at her sister for a long time. "No." 

"He won't hurt me." 

"He does. He always does." 

"Not intentionally." 

"That's not  _love_ , Blossom." 

Brick eyed the two sisters going back and forth. He remembered the look on Dexter's face when he first broke in. He had smiled widely and looked at Blossom for consent. The expression made Brick's stomach churn with disgust and horror, the way Dexter firmly believed that he was doing everything for his love. And he didn't miss the look on Blossom's face, terrified and fear-struck. He didn't want to send her to face him again. 

"I'll go with you," Brick said. 

"No," Blossom shook her head. "No, no, no." 

"Take him," Buttercup hissed. "God knows what Dexter will do with you alone." 

Blossom flinched. "I can handle it, Brick, leave it to me." 

"No," Brick shook his head. 

"I can do it."

"No, Blossom." 

"Let me do it, Brick." 

"No." 

_"Brick!"_

_"Blossom, listen to me!"_

It wasn't about the mission anymore. Brick gasped for air, his hand gripping the couch. His eyes lit up in flames. Blossom glared back at him, her fists clenched. She looked like she could either explode or break down and cry any moment. Buttercup curled closer to Butch and they both knew the situation was nothing about this anymore. It wasn't about the mission. They had no idea what the two were talking about. 

Brick inhaled sharply. He knew he was being unfair to her. But if he knew  _one_ thing it was that he couldn't let this happen. He knew what she was thinking, or so he thought. He  _owed_ this to her, the night she had let him go. He had yelled at her that night too, rain pouring down his face, his fist in blood. The night he couldn't differentiate between fire and blood. That night, the night he died, that night was the start of his debt. 

Blossom didn't understand why Brick was being so upset about this. It was her choice. She had been so useless this whole time, she had watched Dexter kill Boomer and attempt to kill her sisters right in front of her eyes.  _This_ was her chance to redeem herself. This was the first time she had the chance to do anything useful. She wasn't going to let anyone else take her place in the doors of death anymore. 

He felt the heavy pressure to do anything for her. She pressured herself to do everything to everyone else. 

_\- just kill me, blossom, it's easier._

_\- shut up, brick. listen to me this once and i'll let you go._

"Shut up, Brick. Listen to me this once," Blossom said, almost pleading. 

"Butch, take Buttercup and go somewhere else," Brick ordered, not even glancing at his brother.

Butch was surprised for a moment, taken off-guard. Then after sharing a look with Buttercup, he pulled her arm around him and walked her out of the living room. As they got out of his sight, Brick took a step forward and closed the space between him and Blossom. She put the coffee down, taking one last sip. She raised her chin and looked up at him as he came closer and closer. She took one step back and hit the wall. 

They were dangerously close. 

"Blossom," Brick whispered softly. "You're not doing this." 

"Brick you don't understand." The tears came trickling. "This is my one chance, my one chance to redeem myself. Prove my worth. Please let me do it." They stared into each other's eyes for a long time. He reached out and tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear. Brick contemplated internally on what to do, unwillingly torn between Blossom's safety and Blossom's dignity. He saw the desperation in her eyes, he had seen it many times in the mirror, in himself, as well. 

Brick opened his mouth. 

"Fine." 


	4. trust me

"I knew you would come see me." 

Blossom felt her throat going dry as she watched Dexter take off his lab coat. He placed it on the rack and shined a smile in her direction. She responded with an equally beautiful smile, trying to be as nonchalant and as indifferent as possible. She had gone through this many million times in her head, with Brick, with Buttercup, she was prepared. She  _had_ to be. She was alert and ready to tackle whatever that would be thrown to her. 

Blossom moved a little further away from Dexter. The look on Brick's face lingered in her mind, the look that told her he was so pained by this mission, her idea. She knew exactly what he meant when he took her hands in his and told her to be careful. He knew exactly how dangerous Dexter was. 

"Let's go eat dinner," Dexter smiled. 

They walked down the lane that was too familiar, but Blossom was busy observing Dexter's every move, making sure he would never have the chance, if he tried to seize one. Her mind circled around Bubbles and Boomer, both of who didn't look like they were getting any better. They just had to pray Boomer's body would regain the system and that Bubble would wake up again. 

"Here, have some tea," Dexter pushed it towards her. 

"Thanks," Blossom gingerly picked the cup and smelled it, only pretending to take a sip. 

_\- if i don't come back within an hour, come find me._

_\- an hour? isn't that a little too long?_

One hour. That was her safety pin. Blossom didn't dare think about bringing either Butch or Brick into the mission, Dexter would kill them in the spot. She had to come alone, vulnerable, powerless, just the way Dexter liked her. She had to be  _submissive._ At least, she would pretend to be. The Dexter in front of her scared her and it took all her will power to stop trembling but she also knew the Dexter from before. He wasn't reckless enough to paralyze her with that  _damn_ chip. 

"I wanted to talk about your sisters," Dexter raised an eye brow. 

"I know," Blossom replied. 

"Let me give you a deal," Dexter smiled. "If you become my wife, I'll forget everything." 

The statement made her stomach churn but Blossom tried her very best to sound unimpressed and nonchalant. She knew something like this was coming for her, from Dexter. She had very well recognized the look in his eyes when he had first confessed his feelings, it wasn't a question, it was a demand, a statement. She was  _designed_ to be his from the very beginning, in a way that no one could ever. It frightened her. And for a moment, Brick flashed across her mind. 

"I-I can't," Blossom whispered. 

"I know exactly where you, your sisters, and  _they_ are," Dexter's eyes glinted dangerously. "Remember I told you about that mechanism I created it? It's still working, you know. You won't get away from me, Blossom, ever. I'm giving you the  _easy_ way out. Marry me and I'll let them go, I will even make the perfect story for them to escape the public eye. I'll give them everything, if you give  _your everything to me._ " 

Under the table, her hands trembled. 

"I'm not pressuring anything on you," Dexter shrugged as he smiled at the waiter bringing the food out. "I want you to be mine willingly, after all. I'll get rid of the chips off your sisters, trust me, you can't take it off on your own without proper equipment. And I'll  _fix_ that broken  _boy_ , if that's what you want." 

The mention of her sisters and Boomer almost made twitch, but she kept it cool. She looked at him with the same indifferent casualness, taking a sip of the tea in front of her, pretending to cut through her well-cooked steak. She knew well Dexter was watching her every move and was calculating his next. 

"If I get killed, your sisters will never become normal again," he emphasized each word with a smile. "Come to me, Blossom, I'll make you happy. I won't ever question you about  _him_ anymore. I'll forget about  _him._ I'll let  _him_ go.  _He_ can go far away, far away from  _us._ " The smile deepened at each word. 

Brick. She knew he was talking about him. 

"Come on, I think this is a nice deal," Dexter started eating the steak. 

"Let me think about it," Blossom said, feeling her blood boil, pumping through her veins. She knew it was because she was anxious and nervous but somehow it felt different. "Dexter, let me go today. Let me think about it." 

Dexter's face darkened. He stared at her and fixed his posture as he read her. "Oh, I see," he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "You told them to come find you if you didn't come within a specific time frame, am I right?" 

Blossom didn't dare deny or affirm his guess. But that was all he needed. 

"Alright, tomorrow midnight, is that enough?" 

She felt her head throbbing, her whole body becoming hot like it was being burned by the sunlight. She felt something  _weird,_ something  _odd,_ in the way she never felt anymore. Her breath hitched as she sat there, wondering what was wrong with her and wondering what she should do. Maybe it was because she had too much to think about right now. She had too much on her plate. But, no, it was more than that... 

"It's sad I don't get to see you naked tonight," Dexter gave a soft sigh. "Oh, it's the tea. I had it bought just for you." 

Blossom wanted to gag. 

She stared at him in pure horror, unable to think about her poker face, as realization seeped into her mind. 

"It's only supposed create intense and extreme sexual desire for a couple of hours." 

Blossom staggered up, feeling dizzy, but not really. She didn't know how to describe this feeling, so forced yet so natural. Her head didn't hurt, but it felt as though her head did hurt. Her whole entire body was riled up and it was just more than that. Her blood was boiling, her skin was crawling. She inhaled sharply as she walked past Dexter, but not before he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her closer. His breath was unbearable to her. 

"If you don't show up tomorrow," he whispered in her ear. "I will do worse things than death to him." 

And with that, his hands crawled up her upper body as his lips pressed against hers. Blossom felt something sick, she wanted to vomit, as she felt his fingers on her arms, her neck, her collarbone. With a gasp, she pushed him away, her eyes widened and filled with disgust. She looked at him incredulously, panting. 

"You know you want it," Dexter's voice was hoarse and raspy.

That was the last straw. 

Blossom darted out of the restaurant in a zap and dashed into the sky, her chest heavy and hot, tears streaming down her face. She barged opened the door without thinking to be quiet and ignored Buttercup's questions as she went straight to the bathroom and locked herself. Her throat was becoming stuffy and hot, but in the good way. She felt being suffocated by this new form of torture. She turned on the faucet and felt the cool water on her hands before vigorously washing herself again and again. 

Dexter's kiss kept coming back and each time she washed more and more furiously. It wasn't until she was soaking wet that she realized people were calling for her outside. She dabbed her face with a towel and stared at her reflection in the mirror until her face wasn't blushing anymore. Then with a sigh, she opened the door. 

"What happened? Did he do something?" Buttercup demanded. 

"No, he didn't pull anything stupid," Blossom answered indifferently. "Sit down, we need to talk." 

"Oh and - " 

Before Buttercup could finish her sentence, Blossom noticed the blonde haired girl sitting on the couch, eyes widened. Another flow of tears streamed as Blossom walked up to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. The warmth was comforting and nice. And it reminded her to stay strong. Blossom pulled back and smiled, "You're alive! Does it hurt anywhere?" 

"Well, a light headache? But that's it," Bubbles answered. She looked drained and exhausted. 

"Good, good, good," Blossom rushed, a wide smile flashing. "It's really great." 

Bubbles gave her a weird look. "Blossom, are you alright?" 

"Tell me every word he said," Brick sat down on the couch and crossed his arms. His eyes glowered for a second. 

"We have a problem." She sat Butch down as well and started explaining the problem with the mechanism. She hesitated on whether or not she should tell them about Dexter's  _deal_ , but she did because Brick's piercing eyes told her he knew she was hiding something. She left out the part about the tea and the kiss, but explained in detail about how the chips will not be removed without him and how he wants her answer by tomorrow midnight. 

"Well, you're not going," Butch clarified immediately. "But the mechanism, that  _is_ a problem." 

"What if we  _pretended_ to oblige to his deal and just betray him?" Blossom suggested. 

"No," Brick shook his head. 

"What if we asked him to help Boomer and take the chips off beforehand?" 

"No." 

"Do you have any other ideas?" 

"No," Brick replied. Then he looked up. "But you're not going anywhere near him from now on. We're not risking you to do  _whatever_. We're not working with his deal. Discard it. Even if we have to run away to another dimension, we're not going with this kind of plan." His serious tone of voice made Blossom stop and think. 

Blossom stared at Brick, studying his eyes, his nose, his lips. She felt her face turn bright red. 

"Blossom, are you okay?" 

"Y-Yeah." Blossom stood up. "Is it alright if I go take a rest? I think I need a rest." And with that she stomped away into a different room, locking the door behind her. She released a sigh of relief as she felt the isolation settle in. She could feel her blood boiling hot and angry, coursing in her veins, pumping like she was on some sort of drugs. Her chest heaved up and down at her heavy breathing as she hugged her knees, waiting for it to be over. 

She felt the knocks on the door as vibrations but her ears been exploding with noises, she doesn't hear them. 

"I'm really sleepy, Bubbles," she automatically responded in a weary, suppressed voice. She felt the vibration through the wooden door and finally dragged her body to stand up and turned the knob, slowly and steadily. She felt as though she was hallucinating, her head was pounding, her ears were imploding. She wanted everything to stop. She wanted this feeling to wash away immediately. 

"Blossom." Standing before her was Brick and everything stopped. She sighed softly. 

"Thank god, Brick," she rubbed her temples. She took off her jacket and placed it on the hook. "What is it?" 

"He did something, didn't he?" Brick took a step forward. Blossom stood there, paralyzed, unable to tear her eyes from swiping him up and down, realizing how built he was. Almost instinctively, she placed a hand on his shoulders. Then realizing what she had done, she immediately pulled away. 

"Nothing," she replied. Brick eyed her strangely and leaned in, dangerously close. His lips were inches away from hers and Blossom had to dig her nails in the palm of her hand to stop the desire to kiss him right there. She inhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes shut. 

Brick pulled back. "He gave you the tea, didn't he?" 

Her eyes opened in surprise and she stared at him. 

"Trust me, I've had my share of torture," Brick smirked. His face turned serious as he lifted her hand and inspected her palm, looking for something. "How much did you drink?" He leaned closer and stared at into both of her eyes, looking for symptoms, signs, that could mean she was in critical state. Relief washed over him when he found none. 

"One cup," Blossom admitted. "And it  _hurts,_ Brick." 

Brick nodded with a wry smile. "I once drank a bottle of it, it nearly killed me resisting it." Then his face darkened as he added, "Dexter gave this to you for a reason, did he try anything stupid?" When she didn't immediately respond, he looked into her eyes and slowly added, "Please don't lie to me, Blossom."

Blossom felt her lips tingle and the disgusting churn return. "He kissed me," she looked down. 

Brick was silent for a moment and Blossom feared he was judging her. 

"He - " Brick started but then paused and it sounded like he was controlling the rage inside him. "I shouldn't have let this happen, I shouldn't have." He sounded like he was talking more to himself than anyone and his eyes were dangerous filled with guilt. He looked at Blossom, knowing  _damn_ well how frustrating that tea was. It almost drove him crazy to the point of murder, it might for her. 

"I'm sorry," Blossom said, ashamed. 

"Why are you saying sorry? It's not your fault," Brick said softly shaking his head. "It's alright, Blossom, nothing happened,  _nothing happened._ " He watched as she fell on the bed, helpless, her hands covering her face. He couldn't tell whether she was crying or just contemplating. 

"It was my first kiss," she finally started. "My first kiss was  _that."_

Brick frowned a little and leaned on the door. 

"I can't believe - " 

"That wasn't your first kiss." 

Blossom lifted her hands from her face and sat up. She looked up at Brick, who looked down at her. He wasn't lying, he sounded perfectly genuine as he said it. He almost looked puzzled and confused as to her statement. "That wasn't your first kiss," Brick repeated, thinking perhaps that Blossom had missed it the first time. 

"What? No, yes that was," Blossom was confused as well now. "How would you know? Do  _you_ know my first kiss?" 

Brick knelt in front of her, looking up now. He tilted his head. "Of course, don't you?" 

"Who was it? When?" 

"Why, Blossom, it was me." 

She felt as though someone hit her head with a hammer. She blinked for a few seconds before analyzing his face. He looked perfect sincere about this. Was he joking? Was he lying to make her feel better? She stared at him a little longer, observing his face. Then she finally whispered, "What?" 

"Do you not remember it?" Brick smiled. "Five years ago, October 31st." 

Blossom looked at in incredulously. 

"It was  _my_ first kiss too, I remember it," Brick defended himself. Then a little more shyly and with more surprise, he added, "Blossom, are you serious?" He released a soft, low chuckle. Blossom clenched her fists, feeling the urge to run her hand through his hair suddenly. 

"Tell me what happened," Blossom urged instead. 

"Well, we were both drunk," Brick shrugged. "We played rock paper scissors." 

_\- loser gets a kiss._

_\- i think we're both losers._

The conversation rang in her head like an echo of some old movie she watched when she was younger. Her eyes widened a little and she cocked her in confusion, a small questioning smile surfacing on her face as she looked at Brick, waiting for him to continue. 

"Then we kissed," Brick smiled. 

"I can't believe I don't remember this," Blossom giggled. "I must have been wasted." 

He stared at her. "But does that make you feel better? That Dexter isn't your first kiss?" 

Blossom nodded genuinely. She felt something building up inside her, perhaps a mix of the disgusting desires, the anxiety, and the relief too. She stared at Brick, so glad  _he_ was the one standing before her, smirk plastered on his all-too-familiar expression, hands stuffed in his pockets, inspecting her, watching out for her. She was  _happy_ it had been him, him who took her first kiss. She didn't remember it, but it was better than nothing. 

"Brick," her voice turned raspy as she gulped nervously. "How long did it take for the, um, thing to wear off?" 

"Four hours," Brick answered. "But you drank far less than me and I was in a terrible condition." 

His words comforted her like no other words could. She still remembered the lingering disgusting feeling on her lips, implemented by Dexter. She turned to the mirror behind Brick and stared at her reflection. She looked the same, the same as anyone could imagine her to be. But she  _felt_ different. She touched her lips, wondering if it felt different after Dexter's forced lips pressing on it. Was it contaminated? 

"What?" Brick asked, curious. He took her hand in his. "You look the same." 

"I feel weird," Blossom confessed. "I feel  _disgusting._ " 

"Shhh," Brick whispered. "It's gonna be over soon, Blossom, trust me." 

It were moments like this, when he was staring at her like she was his world. When she was staring at him like he was her savior. The locked eyes, the physical contact, the body language. It were moments like this that Blossom thought they were having a moment. It were moments like this that she tricked herself into thinking they had something. And her heart would ache for him and she wouldn't know what to do when she realized he was only Brick and she was only Blossom. 

"I know," she nodded. "Thank you." 

"I owe you everything, Blossom," he smiled weakly. "I owe you." 

She wanted to hear an I  _love_ you, but it sounded like he was saying those words to her. She carefully lifted her hands from his and touched his face. Her hand was hot against his cool skin and she relaxed, only a little bit. She pulled back when she knew she was hitting her limit and when she knew she could give in to her desires any moment now. 

"Was he a good kisser?" Brick knew he was asking the wrong question the moment he saw her face. He only wanted to make things lighter, make things less serious. But the way her face crumbled a little bit and the way her eyes went a little more hollow killed him. 

"I don't now," Blossom whispered, barely audible. "He just grabbed me." 

"I'm sorry," Brick hastily apologized. 

"Brick." Her voice was desperate. "Can you do one thing for me?" 

"What?" 

"Kiss me." 

Brick stared into her eyes, wondering if she was asking because she wanted to or because the poison was messing with her. She looked desperately beautiful. Tears brimmed her eyes and her long eye lashes curled upward, as if it was reaching for the heavens. Wisps of her hair tenderly fell across her face but she didn't seem to mind. She looked breathtaking. And it took Brick a while to snap back into reality. 

"I want to erase him," Blossom begged. "Please, Brick." 

She didn't want anyone else, he didn't want anyone else to do it for him. He couldn't imagine it, the image almost broke him. He looked at her and squeezed her hands a little. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Blossom, you're really perfectly - "

"I don't feel fine," she cried. "Brick." 

He gave in, he always did and he will always. Brick swept his hands across her face, tucking in loose wisps behind her ears. He wiped away her fresh tears and smiled. Then he slowly leaned in, his one hand on the bed for support and his other hand on her cheek. Their lips locked softly and tenderly and both of them stayed still for a few moments. No one dared to move, scared it might ruin it. And after a long pause, their lips parted and he immediately felt the loss of her warmth.

"Blossom?" he asked. 

"Thank you," Blossom smiled. "Thank you, Brick." 

She looked at hi in gratitude, unable to move under his piercing gaze. 

"Blossom," Brick suddenly asked. "If it was someone else in my place, let's say, some other superhero, would you have asked the same request?" His eyes glittered from the sunlight streaming in from the windows, a peak of the sunset. Gold and pink panned across his face and Blossom wondered at how beautiful he looked. 

"No," Blossom shook her head. "I would only ask you to do it, Brick. I took your first kiss, I owe you." Her words made him laugh a little. He placed the palm of his hand on her forehead, checking to see if her temperature was high. It was high, but not as high as before. The tea was starting to fade away. Now it would only be a maximum of an hour before she would be free of her sexual desires. 

"Sleep it off, Blossom," Brick advised. "I'll go check on the guys." 

Blossom watched him leaving, wishing he would never leave her. 

* * *

Bubbles sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers tracing Boomer's silhouette. He didn't look that bad of a mess, but Butch had assured her that he was a completely wreck and definitely a "much more dead version of him right now". They had tended his wounds carefully and he still looked hurt, broken. Bubbles touched the scars across his skin, both fresh and old. They didn't have a chance to look at each other, much less share a greeting. He was always slipping through her hands and just when she thought she had tied him down, he was dying. 

She had cried enough, she didn't have tears anymore. Now she would just wait. She would be waiting and waiting until he woke up again. And that would be enough for her. She didn't look for something greater, something just like what they used to have before. She wasn't going to be greedy. The only thing she wanted more was for him to be alive. She only wanted hi to be smiling for someone, if not her. 

"Boomer, I miss you," she said softly, leaning on the bed, her arms becoming her pillow. 

Only silence was returned. 

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Bubbles murmured. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry for loving you." 

She buried her face in the bed sheets, knowing very well that everything was because of her. She had dragged her sisters into the mess by loving a Rowdyruff, she had dragged Boomer into her mess by falling in love with him. She had never ever planned on that but like a moth, she was flying straight for the flame. 

"I swear, Boomer, I'll do my best to unlove you." 

She knew she wouldn't follow it, she could probably never stop loving him. But the past year, she had learned not to show it, she had learned to pretend like nothing ever happened. It was hard at the beginning, she sometimes cried hours at a time. But now she was fine, at least she thought so. 

For what she knew was the last time, Bubble intertwined her hand in his, noticing all over again how pretty and big his hand was. His hand was warm, just the perfect temperature, he always was. She cupped her chin with her other hand and looked at Boomer, sleeping peacefully on the bed. 

_\- you're really, really beautiful._

_\- i think you're really handsome._

Bubbles thought she felt his hand turn warmer but she told herself that she was probably just imagining it. Or maybe she was just turning a little colder by each second. Either, it didn't matter anymore. She just wished he would come back to life, she knew he would, but just not when. He would just stir from his coma and sit up and stare around, his grey eyes turning blue by each second, the color returning in his cheeks, like a doll becoming alive. She could see it. 

She could see Boomer being perfectly fine. She could  _see_ it, almost like it was happening in front of - 

"Hey, Bubbles." 

His voice was real. Bubbles blinked and like a camera focusing on its objective, Boomer came into her view. His eyes were blue, bluer than ever, and his lips were curving into a smirk. Was it real? Was it a dream? She tried to reach out, but her hands didn't move, she just stared at his eyes, falling deeper into the blue as the seconds passed. Maybe this was a nightmare, she couldn't move after all. 

"Bubbles?" his voice was too real and too soft to be a dream. She could his hands touching hers and like a broken spell, she fell into his arms, wrapping her arms around him, tears streaming down her face. The warmth in him was like a flower blooming and she felt it, it was him. She could be hallucinating, but she was so sure it was him. 

Boomer stayed frozen for longer than a good minute but she doesn't notice. This wasn't why he came to Cityville, but he needed it. He came to end things, to end things that never started. His plan was never being captured by Dexter and being tortured to death. Dexter had truly believed he was dead, but he had missed the point where he was a Rowdyruff. And since then, he didn't remember anything. And he woke up to see Bubbles. It was a nice surprise, it was nice. 

But something heavy in his heart dragged him down. He can't do  _this_ again. He knows he can't. He knew it almost killed both of them and it will always try to kill both of them. He couldn't just pretend and love her like they were the same, like they were  _equal._ She couldn't be in his world, just like how he couldn't be in hers. They weren't very different but he always ended up hurting her, no matter what. It didn't matter that he loved her, he still hurt her. Real bad. 

"Where's Butch? Brick?" he asked in a raspy voice. 

Bubbles pulled away and she noticed it, the slight change of tone in his voice, the sharpness in his eyes as he searched for any sign of his brothers. When she didn't provide him an answer, he didn't hesitate in getting out of bed himself and slowly walking towards the door, not giving her a single glance. 

It didn't hit her, but it hit her a little later. And it hurt so much. Bubbles heard the muffled exclamations between Boomer and the rest, a little conversation, Butch filling him in, a pat on the back from Brick, Buttercup asking where Bubbles was. That was when she pulled herself together and with a bright smile, pushed herself to walk out the door. 

"How's Blossom?" she turned to Brick, refusing to acknowledge Boomer. She was afraid to see whatever expression he would give her. Any would hurt her more. 

They all noticed it immediately and Bubbles knew they noticed it. How could they not? Her eyes should've been fixed on Boomer and his smile should've been for her. But neither is happening and they're simply facing the front. Brick was concerned but he didn't show it. "She's taking a rest," he answered, his mouth dry. "And we'll discuss further plans tonight." 

"Oh, we need to discuss further plans, now, do we?" Boomer smirked. "Just like the old days." 

It was really, really weird. The three - Butch, Buttercup, Brick - stared between the two blondes, wondering what on earth could've happened. The way Boomer said the words without never turning in her direction, the way Bubbles seemed to be  _perfectly fine_ with his behavior. It didn't seem right, it didn't seem like they were  _in love_ at all. Butch scratched the back of his head and opened his mouth. 

"You should eat, Boomer," Butch suggested. 

"I'll go get the soup," Brick offered as he walked away. 

Bubbles glanced at Boomer, wondering if this was all a mistake. What if Boomer was giving her some sort of signal? Maybe she didn't catch it correctly. It didn't make sense. Why was he acting like a stranger to her, of all people? The least he could be doing was being friendly, that was what Boomer usually was. The more she stared, the more he ignored. 

With all courage, Bubbles reached out and touched his arm. "Boomer?" 

He looked at her but with the eyes of a stranger. They were blue, the only kind of blue Boomer could have, but it wasn't him. "Yeah?" he was polite, almost in the hurtful and distancing way. She caught the note in his voice, unsatisfied and ungrateful. It wasn't her  _confusion,_ he was purposefully acting this way. 

"Boomer?" she echoed, her voice hollow. 

"Are you alright?" Butch interrupted. "Is your head, your memories, I mean - " 

"No, it's fine," Boomer laughed a little. "I didn't lose any memories,  _unlike you,_ Butch." 

Butch rolled his eyes and Boomer almost fits in, almost. The incoming distractions clouded around Bubbles like a fog but she could only watch him. He was different, he was different. She could almost convince herself that a stranger in the looks of Boomer was replacing him but he was  _too real_ to be a fake. 

"You lost your memories?" Buttercup exclaimed, surprised. 

"He forgot all about you," Boomer smirked. 

Face turning red, Butch cried, "Stop being a little snitch, Boomer." 

"You forgot all about me?" Buttercup repeated, her arms crossed. "Damn, Butch I thought I made a strong enough first impression." She looked amused and hurt at the same time, but only because she didn't know the full story, Boomer thought. If she had seen how pained Butch was when he remembered everything, how he cried out like a scarred wolf in the dead of the night, she wouldn't dare say it like that. 

"It's a long story," Butch brushed it off. 

It took the two of the three seconds to realize that they were the only ones talking. When they looked to the side, there the blondes were, obliging to listen to the conversation, unable to talk to  _each other._ Buttercup shared a look with Butch as she loudly proclaimed, "Butch, I need to tell you something." She grabbed his hand and walked off, hoping that her sister would talk to Boomer and Boomer to her. 

They were only left with silence, the kind Bubbles always hated. 

"Boomer." Her voice was near a whimper, a beg, a plea. It made him look, it always did. 

"Yes?" His voice was softer but it still didn't shed the layer of ice. 

"Did I do something wrong?" 

"No." He feigned a puzzled expression, almost amused. 

"Then why are you acting ... acting like this?" 

"Define  _this._ " 

"Acting like we had a huge fight and swore never to talk to each other again," Bubbles worded her question carefully. He wasn't a stranger to her, Boomer was always friendly towards strangers. He treated her like an enemy, a cursed enemy. That was exactly it. Her voice swelled as she excitedly added, "I saw your note, by the way. The brick. I saw it." Her eyes twinkled. 

"We're not enemies or anything," Boomer corrected her, shrugging. "But honestly Bubbles, it hurts to be around you." 

Her heart fell as he lied. He could see it in her, one word after another. 

"You came here because of - " 

"Because of me, not you," Boomer interrupted, his eyes glinting. "Sorry, Bubbles. I'm not going to deny that I loved you, but I just don't have the time and energy to invest in love again." 

 _Invest._ The words made everything seem like it was a game. A game of love. Bubbles knew that something else must be there. But the exhausted expression on his face was so real, too real, for it to be something made up. What he was saying was true, the past year must've dragged on him too much, it must've nearly killed him. She had seen Brick and Butch, they looked nearly the same. But of course, Boomer wasn't guaranteed to be the same. He must've taken their segregation much more harder than anyone. It made sense. She understood him. 

"Oh," Bubbles spoke. "Oh well then. We're still friends, right?" 

He looked at her. She tried her best not to break down and cry that moment. She had woke up every day for the past year because she remembered he was alive somewhere. She was able to live. She was able to go through her daily lives. She was able to pretend like nothing happened. And she thought she didn't need that mask anymore because he was here. But she still placed the thick layer of false emotions, unable to understand why she couldn't discard it now. 

"Sorry, I don't think so," Boomer shook his head slowly with a smile. "I'm not gonna stay here long, Bubbles." 

Bubbles blanked out, hearing the words. She had naturally assumed he would stay or at least, want to stay. Maybe not in Cityville, but she thought about running away with him to a different city, in a world where they were just normal human beings. A world where loving each other wasn't such a toll in each other's heart. 

"I understand." She smiled bitterly. "I hope you're happy." 

Boomer looked at her and gave a small sigh. 

"You too, Bubbles." 

It was the end of a love story. 


	5. violence

Bubbles cried and cried, soundlessly as she stared at the sunset. Her shoulders shuddered every now and then as she vigorously stifled her cries and wiped away at her cheeks. She wasn't dumb and she wasn't one of the best at reading people, but she knew Boomer genuinely meant what he said. The harsh winds slapped her face, drying her tears before she could think about it. Her worries were nothing, and she knew of that. She knew that Blossom and Brick were discussing life and death situation in the living room, she didn't have any time to cry about this. 

But it still hurt. Not because he was mean - he had been very polite and gentle about his message - and not because he didn't love her. She completely understood him, his circumstance, how he became the love-deprived person he was now. She knew why but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't hate him. Not for this anyway. 

_\- i think i'll miss you a lot._

Bubbles exhaled sharply as she pulled herself together. This was very unprofessional of her. They had to work together so they could be alive. So they could get rid of the  _damned_ chips that immobilized them and earn  _freedom._ There was no time for her to cry about emotions. Buttercup and Blossom were way too busy for that. After touching her cheeks to make sure it wasn't hot, Bubbles turned around to head back in. 

And then she stopped, inches away from the familiar cologne. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Boomer apologized dryly. "Blossom wants us back inside." 

Did he see her cry? Bubbles's couldn't shake away the thought that he had been watching her, just politely waiting for her to finish whatever she was doing. She couldn't help but feel the sickening churn springing in her heart, knowing fully well that she was being  _pitied_ and that he was being  _sympathetic._ The simple thought of it crushed her. She pursed her lips and meekly nodded. 

"How long have you been standing there?" she can't help but ask, she needed to know. 

"I wasn't, I just came," Boomer replied nonchalantly. 

The thought that she couldn't read him almost devastated her -  _almost._ She could almost pretend like it didn't bother her. She was an expert at this, she had trained for a whole year, after all. Bubbles flashed a small smile and muttered, "Alright then." She brushed past him, the locks of her platinum blonde hair touching his sleeves momentarily, before she walked into the house, unwilling to wait for him. 

Boomer stood there for a long time, staring at the sunset she had been staring at. The sun was already set and the sky was slowly losing its former glory and color. He gave a low sigh and raised his hand to his eyes, looking down. He didn't know what to do. He had been standing behind her for nearly a minute, watching her muffle her sadness. And he had seen the look on her face when she noticed him, the utterly  _fine_ look. She didn't look like she had just been crying. 

It hurt her but it hurt him more. But he knew this was the only way. Getting meddled with emotions were not a good thing right now. Especially them, they were complicated. They had been the most deeply involved than any of their siblings. They knew what it meant to be at their highest. And now he knew being together would only drag them to their lowest. 

"Boomer? Brick is looking for you," Butch called. 

"I'm coming," he responded and turned around. 

They were too similar to be lovers, they would only destroy each other until nothing was left to protect. Boomer knew they weren't meant to be. He purposefully sat down the furthest away from her and turned to Brick for instructions. He knew his brothers weren't dumb or blind, but they were smart enough to not question his decision. And none of the Powerpuffs had explicitly asked him either, which he was thankful for. 

If faced directly with the truth, he didn't know if he was going survive it. 

"Alright, so here's  _my_ plan," Brick started. "We obviously can't get rid of the chips on our own. Tomorrow at midnight when Blossom will be distracting him, we can break into his lab. He can find out where we are but he doesn't seem to be always checking it. So Blossom will make sure he doesn't find out that we're breaking into his house and if she does she would signal Butch, who would be watching, and he would zap to us and warn us before Dexter gets to us first. Is that clear?" He looked around. 

"It's risky," Buttercup remarked. "Blossom will be in constant presence of that bastard." 

"I'm willing to take it," Blossom said, her tone of voice strong. "He won't paralyze me, because his prize needs to be in perfect condition." 

"It's perfect," Butch said, satisfied. "It's the only on that seems workable so let's go with it. I like it." 

"I have a question," Bubbles raised her hand sheepishly. "Who breaks into his lab? All of us? Some of us?" 

"That's what we also need to discuss," Brick eyed everyone in the room. "If all of us breaks in, it might be faster to get rid of the chips. But at a case of emergency, it might be better to have only one person going at a time so it'll be easier to escape." He looked at Blossom, waiting for her approval. "What do you think?" 

"I think we should go all together," Bubbles intervened. "It's safer." 

"No," Boomer shook his head. "If we're talking about safety, it's safer one by one." 

Bubbles crossed her arms. "And then what if the last person doesn't have enough time?" 

"If you're that concerned, you can go first," Boomer raised an eye brow. "Ladies first." 

Bubbles glared at him, frustration seeping into her voice. "That's not what I'm worried about," she hissed, her voice sharpened. "I don't expect Blossom to distract Dexter for long, she won't want it either. If we're going to be careful and take it slow, none of us might make it then." 

"Exactly,  _none_ of us might make it," Boomer pointed out. "You think Dexter won't have his lab equipped with all kinds of traps? If  _all_ of us goes at once, we'll activate at least three times more of the traps than necessary." He crossed his arms determinedly. "Listen to me, I've been there." 

"You're talking as if you know for a fact that the last person won't make it," Bubbles snapped. "All of us can make it." 

"I'm just being  _realistic_!" Boomer yelled. 

"No, you're being _pessimistic_ ," Bubbles corrected him. 

Boomer knew he was arguing for nothing. He didn't necessarily want to argue but the implemented order to reject Bubbles kept pushing him forward to become more and more irritated. He didn't understand how Bubbles was still living in a protected dream land were she confidently thought she could save everyone. He knew it from in the inside that that won't happen. Because he knew things no one else knew. 

"What does everyone else think?" Boomer sighed. He didn't want to yell anymore. 

"I agree with Bubbles," Butch said. "I mean if it's just the three of you, I would say Boomer's right, but if Brick's going, we might be able to pull this off. And most importantly - " His eyes glinted over to Brick. " - it's all or nothing, Boomer. All or nothing." 

"I agree with Butch," Buttercup agreed, nodding a little. She turned to Boomer. "I know what you mean by safety but we're Powerpuffs. And Rowdyruffs. Immobilized, sure, but still strong. And  _you_ survived, Boomer. You survived the worst. We can do it again." 

Boomer looked around the room and turned to Brick. "My question is what are we doing afterwards?" 

"We leave this world," Brick said tersely, stiffening a little. "It was a mistake coming back to Cityville. We leave and never come back." Blossom flinched at the words  _never come back._ It sounded like he was targeting her, talking to her specifically. 

"Cool," Buttercup said quietly and a little sadly. "What are we doing, Blossom?" 

"We definitely can't stay in a Cityville where Dexter is alive," Blossom sighed. "We'll think about that later." 

"Alright I'm gonna take it that we're going to stick together," Brick glanced at Boomer and Boomer gave a curt nod. "I'll try to come up with a better plan throughout the night." He checked the clock. "You guys should sleep, it'll be harder for Dexter if we're well-slept and in good condition." With that he stood up with on swift motion. He turned to Blossom and said, "Can I talk to you for a second?" 

Blossom nodded and followed Brick into the kitchen. She looked at him, knowing what he was going to bring up. 

"Are you going to be alright?" Brick asked. "Dexter might ask you to hideous things. You might have to do disgusting things to distract him." He looked more pained than she should be, looking like he truly cared about her. 

"It'll be alright," she nodded. Then she smiled a little. "If something goes wrong, you'll kill him for me, right?" 

Brick's face darkened as he snarled, "Don't say that." 

"If something goes wrong, you'll take care of my sisters, right?" Blossom asked. 

Brick paused. 

"You know that I will," he said weakly. "You know I will." 

Blossom looked at him. "I know. Sorry." 

"Don't apologize," Brick said, almost frustrated. "It's not - " 

"My fault?" Blossom took a step forward. "Brick, really, is it not?"

"Blossom," Brick said, his voice low and soft. It was the kind of the voice that gave away everything. "I adore you. You're strong and a great leader. I will always adore you. And I also admire you. I always will." Blossom looked at him, her eyes narrowing a little bit. "And if anything happened to you, I will kill myself. If I had to pick between you and myself to live, I will always pick you without a hesitation." Then he carefully added, "I  _owe_ you." 

His eyes told her a different story and Blossom gave a small smile. She always knew, she probably always knew in the bottom of her heart. Because she wasn't stupid and he wasn't either. Because she knew how he acted with others, and how he acted with her. He made sure she knew, so clear and so well. And they were mature. They had to be mature, in this mess with their siblings. He couldn't risk it, she couldn't risk it. 

They could only be unspoken words. 

"I  _know_ ," Blossom said. She knew so well. She was tempted to go somewhere where she shouldn't. "I'm going to take a nap." 

She left and Brick stood there for a long time. 

"Brick." 

He turned around and saw Boomer. He didn't ask how long he had been standing there but he didn't need to know. He crossed his arms and raised an eye brow. He and his brothers were always like this. They didn't say anything. But if Brick's instincts were right, he knew Boomer was going to say something to him. Something he would regret. Brick pursed his lips as he said, "What?" 

"I went down that path," Boomer smirked. "It's great. You should go." Sarcasm dripped off his voice. "No, you shouldn't. It sucks. It's a pit of  _hell_." He said it but he didn't mean it. Brick knew that Boomer was talking more to himself than anyone else on the planet. He said it because he felt like he needed to say it for himself, not for Brick. Brick raised an eye brow and shook his head slowly. 

"I don't think so," Brick laughed. "Boomer, I know you. It was great. It's great down that path. Because for us, we don't have anything to lose. It's  _them_. It's always them." He said it very vaguely, but Boomer's eye brows twitched like Brick just said some crystal clear insult. "Tomorrow, I know what you're going to do." There was a sharp inhale. "I know why you said we should go one by one. You know something's in there." 

"We can make it," Boomer admitted. "But there won't be one person that will be unscathed. We'll all be hurt. We can work, Brick. It would work if we go my way. It would work that way. Brick, please, can we just - " 

"I'm not risking Blossom," Brick snapped sharply. "And Boomer, everyone's gotta take their fall." 

"Even if they don't need to?" Boomer flashed, gritting his teeth. "There's a way, there's a way, Brick." 

"You're only saying that because you don't want Bubbles to be harmed," Brick pointed out. "You don't want her in the pain, even if it's just a little bit." Boomer took a step forward, hissing angrily. He grabbed Brick's hand and squeezed it a little harder than necessarily. 

"No," Boomer hissed. 

"Let me go," Brick said curtly. 

"If it was Blossom, it would be a different story, right?" Boomer laughed. "Do you think Butch would agree with you? Do you think he'll be alright with Buttercup getting burned, even if it was avoidable if Blossom sacrificed only a little more?" Brick inhaled sharply and pushed his paranoid brother to the side and ran his hand through his hair. 

"Do you think Buttercup would agree? Do you think she'll be happy with the idea of letting Blossom sacrificing something she doesn't need to?" Brick fumed. "Do you think  _Bubbles_ would agree? Does she have  _any_ idea what you're doing in this house? Does she know that - " Boomer clenched his fist. " -  _you still love her_ _?"_

Boomer punched him in the face. Brick staggered back and touched his lips, blood on his fingers. 

The last time Boomer punched him was in middle school. Brick sighed, "That's enough. I'm going to sleep." 

"No, I'm not done," Boomer yanked Brick's collar and shoved him to the wall. "Don't say her name in front of me, Brick. Don't." 

His eyes were so blue and so broken. Brick's hand burst into flames as he pushed away from Boomer's hands. "I won't, Boomer," Brick said. His voice was so cold and so steely. "But your eyes keep asking me to mention her. You are  _begging on your knees_ to talk about her." Boomer took two strides and raised a hand. Brick ducked this time. 

"I'm not," Boomer breathed. His punch hit Brick's shoulder. Brick didn't even wince. 

"You are," Brick said softly as he tripped his brother. "Boomer, think about it."

Brick watched Boomer stumble back to his feet. Something in the blue eyes told him that this conversation was long from over. Sighing, he watched as Boomer's hands lit into blue flames and something so strong and so cold knocked the breath out of his lungs. When Brick blinked, he was flying across the living room. Then something hit him a second time as he crashed down on the marble floors. He groaned, grabbing his head. 

"Brick, what the  _hell_ _?"_ Butch yelled. "Boomer?" 

"Stay out of this, Butch," Brick said as he brushed his shoulders. 

"Brick?" Blossom came into his view and Brick almost lost the motivation to do this. Almost. But this needed to be done, he knew it in his heart. 

Boomer's eyes flashed in blue flames as he stormed in Brick's direction. Brick inhaled deeply and slapped his brother's face. There was an utterly long silence. Everyone stared at him and Boomer in horror. Boomer growled and curled his hands around Brick's neck. Brick grabbed Boomer's wrists, burning his skin. There was an awful groan on both sides and everything looked so painful for three long seconds. Brick shoved Boomer away. Boomer fell to the floor, coughing. 

"Boomer, what the  _hell_ ," Brick snarled as he put a foot beside Boomer's head.  _"Hell,_ I'm sorry nothing is ever going as you want it to be. I'm sorry our lives are a wreck, but we have to deal with it. We will never be perfectly broken and we will never be perfectly fixed. We have to deal the  _hell_ out of it." He emphasized each word. 

"Shut up!" Boomer shrieked. 

There was a pause as Boomer's chest simply heaved up and down, panting for breath. Brick looked around and caught Butch's eyes. There was a moment of contemplation and then Brick was thrown off his feet and Boomer was on him again. Boomer punched him twice before Brick shot up, his whole body igniting in red flames. Brick grabbed his brother's collar just as Boomer angrily grabbed his arm. 

"Oh my god,  _stop!"_ Butch helplessly and frantically waved his hand. He tried to squeeze between in brothers but Brick pushed him away. He tasted blood in his mouth, something like metal and iron. He wiped his hand and scowled, finding more blood on his hand. 

"Brick, stop," Blossom begged. And Brick obliged immediately. He released Boomer. And just as he did that, Boomer punched him. 

"Ow, ow, ow," Brick seethed. He staggered back and snapped his head, eyes so red they could consume someone. "Boomer!" 

"I  _know_ we have to deal with it," Boomer raged. "But I had one  _request,_ Brick. One. Can't we, can't you just do as I say? Can't we - " 

 _"No._ " Brick crossed his arms. "My answer will always be no, Boomer." 

"What the hell is going on?" Buttercup, who had been in the bathroom, shrilled as she emerged. "Why is Brick bleeding? Why is - oh my god, what the hell!" Her eyes deftly scanned the broken furniture, the blood, the pain. She placed a hand on Butch as she hastily asked, "What the hell is going on?" 

"It's one of those moments," Butch sighed. "Where I can't do anything but watch." 

"What?" Buttercup asked, puzzled. 

"They need to get it out of their systems," Butch muttered. "Their frustration for themselves." 

Blossom jumped into the mess and yanked Brick off Boomer, Boomer lunged at her, anger-infused. He tried to stop when he realized it was her and not Brick, but it was almost too late. Almost. Brick jumped and grabbed Boomer's balled fist, yelling, "Get the hell out of here, Blossom. Take everyone out of here." 

Boomer punched him. 

"Damn you, Boomer, stop punching me!" Brick roared, blood dripping down his face. 

"No,  _fuck_ you, Brick. For being so selfish. For letting us be in this shitty place. For letting me - " Boomer didn't finish his sentence. He grabbed a vase and raised it over Brick's head. Brick glared at his brother hard and long, not even thinking about budging a bit. Boomer's eyes bulged as he struck it down. 

Except Brick didn't get hit. No one got hurt. 

Boomer stood frozen in mid action, his anger-filled eyes raking over the girl standing between him and Brick. His hands trembled a little and he dropped the vase, shattering into a million pieces on the floor. He snapped into reality a little shortly. Then he took a step back. Bubbles glared at him defiantly. Her body trembled a little. Brick released a soft sigh. It was over. It was finally over. It was over. 

"Are you shitting me?" Boomer muttered. His voice got gradually louder as he added, "Bubbles, what the  _hell._ You could've gotten hurt. What the hell." He walked around the house, leaving blood trails, running his hand through his blonde hair. "What, are you crazy? Are you crazy, Bubbles.  _Answer me, Bubbles."_

Bubbles started breathing again. "No, what the hell to you Boomer. What the hell do you think you're doing?" 

Brick placed a hand on Blossom's shoulder as he said, "Just, take care of the rest for me, alright?" Blossom's concerned hand touched his face momentarily before he left. He placed a careful hand on Boomer's back. Then he muttered, "We need to talk, outside." After a short pause, Boomer trudged out the house like a dead person. Brick followed him, but stopped at Butch and whispered, "I'll be back in a while." 

The door shut closed. 

"Bubbles, you alright?" Blossom asked. Bubbles nodded. Then she collapsed to the floor crying. 

Everything hurt like hell. 

* * *

"I'm sorry," was the first thing Boomer said when the door shut closed. He stared at the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. Brick stared at his brother, knowing too well exactly what he was thinking and exactly what he was going through. An existential crisis. It always happened to people like them. People that were fueled with evil from the very beginning. There was a pause and Brick placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. 

"I know," was all he said. They proceeded to walk to the roof top. 

The wind was on the chilly side but it didn't seem to matter. 

"I wish, I wish we could start over," Boomer blurted. "I wish I could  _love_ like a normal person. I wish I could love and no one would get hurt." He said it like normal people had them. They did. It was their right, their privilege. It was just that Rowdyruff didn't belong to that. 

"To be honest, I don't want to start over," Brick shrugged. He thought he could bear with this, this minimum respect, this minimum honesty, if it meant seeing her once in a while. Knowing her. He was sure that he would have never crossed the name Powerpuff if he wasn't a Rowdyruff. But then again, then he wouldn't be standing in the wrong side, facing her. But at least he saw her. 

Boomer said nothing and then said, "You really think that?" 

It was tempting, it always was, it always would be, but Brick knew he could shut up. He knew he could keep everything quiet. Because if he did it, no one got hurt. He nodded, slowly and steadily and said, "I think you should stay here. You need it. Butch too. You both need them." 

"No. I'm going to change, Brick. I agree that Butch should stay but not me." 

Brick stuffed his hands in his pockets. "If you say so." 


	6. everything hurt

Boomer stayed in the back as Buttercup and Bubbles rummaged through Dexter's ten billion cabinets. Brick turned the light on and zapped a whole entire wall, startled. He cussed softly, mistaking something for a deadly trap. He stood still, anxious and nervous. Everything seemed to easy; his lab was too easy to break in, Blossom looked too confident, and Butch seemed too happy. He waited for something to go wrong, something to fail. Something to balance out everything else. 

"Here Brick, read this," Boomer shoved him a stack of papers. Brick turned the first page and realized this was about the chips Dexter had been developing. He apparently was planning on selling them to the government for criminal controlling purposes. A smirk surfaced on his face.  _Criminals. Rowdyruff._ The two words didn't seem too far away. 

"I found it, damn it! I found it!" Buttercup leaped around. 

Brick didn't move but watched as Boomer and Bubbles circled around the excited Powerpuff, waving a file around and explaining that they needed to find Dexter's special laser gun. Something wrenched in his heart. He looked out the window, his fingers brushing against the window sill. It was almost like Dexter had waited for them to find it. Brick followed Buttercup into another room. 

"Wait, Bubbles, test it on me first," Buttercup said as she handed her sister a small pen. 

Bubbles pressed a button and a thin blue line shot out, blinding her temporarily from the brightness in the dark, dark room. "What do I do with this?" she asked. Buttercup handed her the instructions. After a few minutes of reading, Bubbles carefully aimed the laser towards Buttercup's neck, where the chip was. A horrifying sizzling noise came as the chip seemed to essentially  _melt_ off her skin. Buttercup flinched considerably and bit her lip. 

"Does it hurt?" Boomer asked. 

Buttercup didn't say anything. No, she couldn't say anything. And that was answer enough. After a few more terrifying moments, it stopped. The chip fell off and an outline of a circle imprint was left instead. Blood trickled out and Bubbles immediately dabbed her sister's neck with a tissue. It looked painful. It sounded painful. She didn't know if she could make it. Buttercup inhaled sharply and fell down on a chair, her body flowing green rhythmically. She pressed her neck with a wad of paper tissues, all of which were rapidly turning red every moment. 

"Shall I do you?" Boomer asked, making Bubbles snap back into reality. She stared at the pen in her hand. "Or shall I go first?" 

"No, please do me," Bubbles asked. She wanted to get this over with.

Their fingers brushed momentarily as she passed him the pen to him. Boomer took a step closer and leaned in. Bubbles thought it was a good thing the room was dark. She felt his breath on her cheeks as he turned the pen on. The mesmerizing light raked over her face first before focusing on her neck. She felt his hand behind her neck. It was cold. 

Then pain overtook her. It felt as though someone was stabbing her neck, cutting out her flesh, chipping out her veins. Everything hurt so much. Her head went dizzy for a moment. Her whole body became hot and started trembling uncontrollably. She felt a shiver down her spine. 

"It's almost over," Boomer whispered. And then it ended. The pain receded. 

Bubbles staggered a little. Boomer sat her down on a chair and pressed a tissue against her neck. His face was so close. It looked so close. Bubbles stared at his eyes, wondering if she could catch anything in his eyes. Maybe a hint of emotion, a fleeting look. But nothing. He looked so emotionless. He looked so  _normal_ about everything. He looked like they just didn't fight the night before, yelling at each other. He acted like it didn't matter at all. He acted like he didn't care. 

"Just keep pressing," Boomer instructed. Bubbles obliged. 

She watched him as he walked up to a mirror. She thought he was going to ask Brick to melt his chip off. But instead, he stood there, deadly quiet, turning the laser on and looking at the mirror as he burned it off his skin. His face didn't change. He stood unmoving, just waiting for it to be over. Like it didn't hurt him. Like he wasn't hurt. 

"Does it hurt?" Brick voiced her questions. Boomer shrugged in return. 

"Let's get out of here," was Boomer's response. "I have a bad feeling." He reached out and yanked Buttercup to her feet. "I have a  _really_ bad feeling." He looked nervous, anxious. Bubbles saw the way his eyes started wandering and knew he was genuine. Something was wrong. And Boomer's gut feeling was usually never wrong. Brick nodded. 

"I agree," Brick said. 

They bristled into the night, leaving behind Dexter's lab as a wreck. It had been perfectly rebuilt after the explosion, exactly the same. Dexter could probably do it again. It wasn't a big deal. And when they were shooting through the sky, Brick stopped mid-air and raised a hand to indicate them to halt as well. He looked at the hovering figure in front of him, his face hardened. 

"Brick." It was Butch. "Brick, there's a problem." 

"Where's Blossom?" Brick asked, his voice hard. "Butch,  _where's Blossom?"_

"She's been compromised," Butch answered. 

Brick dove forward and grabbed his brother by the collar.  _"What the hell do you mean by that?"_ His hands burst into flames. Brick stared into the eyes of his brother, desperate to find anything but sorrow, regret, and sympathy. There was nothing else. Butch was looking at him with this  _apologetic_ look and his fears washed over Brick. His hands trembled as he released Butch slowly. He asked again, "What the hell do you mean by that?" 

"She signaled me that she was fine," Butch started. "But she wasn't. I know she wasn't. And then she got on Dexter's car - " Brick clenched his fist. " - and when they drove away, she looked back once. Do you what she said? Do you wanna know what she mouthed to me?" Brick buried his face in his hands. 

"What did she say?" Buttercup asked. "Do you know where the bastard took her?" 

"Tell Brick it's not his fault," Butch said. "Tell Brick it's not his fault." 

Brick stared at Butch, his eyes widened. 

"Blossom said,  _tell Brick it's not his fault,_ " Butch repeated. "That's what she said." 

Brick thought he could  _feel_ his heart shattering. He thought he could  _hear_ his heart shattering. He thought he could hear it, feel it, and wondered it anyone else could too. He turned around slowly and looked at Buttercup and then Bubbles. Buttercup looked furious. Bubbles looked just as frozen as she was. She instinctively turned her body to Boomer's direction, looking for comfort. Then she turned away,  _remembering._

 _"Did you see where they went?"_ Buttercup yelled. 

"I lost them after they left the city. He used some kind of - " 

The words faded out. Brick thought he could feel his whole body temperature going up a good thirty degrees. He stared at the sky and released an ear-splitting screech. He yanked his hair. Then he started plummeting. He dropped down from the air, nearing to the ground rapidly. It was like he had been clinging on to some very, very thin string for the longest time. And it was like that string had snapped now. Brick stopped milliseconds before colliding to the ground. He breathed, hearing himself breath. His mind was panicking and he didn't know what to do. 

" - rick!  _Brick!"_

He can feel someone touching his arm, shaking himself. 

"Jesus Christ, Brick,  _look_ _at me,_ " Boomer said, panicking. "Brick, snap back into reality, please? Brick, damn it. You're,  _can you hear me?"_ His brother's voice sounded so urgent, so desperate. Brick thought he could see the look on Boomer's face without actually facing him, the utter look of devastation. Brick nodded in response and sat up, cracking his knuckles. 

"I'm alright," Brick lied. "We have to do something,  _we have to do something!"_ He whirled angrily at Buttercup for not much reason. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't his fault, it wasn't anyone's fault - right? He started thinking really hard. "We can sweep the area, make a search party or something. Let's go." 

Butch grabbed his arm. "Brick, not right now. The girls are going to pass out." 

Brick glanced at Bubbles and Buttercup. Then he looked at Boomer who looked fine. Bubbles looked like she was going to pass out any second and Buttercup was not away that her neck was still bleeding. He knew Butch was right. The three of them wouldn't survive. He bit his lower lip, aggravating, and then finally concluded, "I'll do it alone."

"You're not going to make it," Boomer said. And Brick knew he was damn right. 

"Fuck!" Brick yelled. "Fuck this shit!" 

"Shut up, Brick," Buttercup breathed. She was crying. Her voice was near a plea and beg more than a curt instruction. Brick watched her cry, watched how Butch paced back and forth, circling around her, not knowing what to do. Then he turned his gaze to Bubbles who was already having full breakdown and then looked at Boomer, who just stared at the ground. He sighed. 

"You're right," Brick seethed. "Let's, let's go somewhere. Let's go to our house." 

Buttercup blinked. "It's kind of far - " 

"We have another house," Boomer intervened. "Not a house, more like a bunker. We should go there, it's right outside of Cityville." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not far away, we can walk there." He looked at Bubbles but she was looking the other way. 

And they started walking mindlessly. Brick thought it was weird how people assumed flying was easier than walking. Flying was easy, at the moment, but every time you stepped back on the ground, you felt as thought you had just climbed out of a swimming pool, the gravity clinging on to you tirelessly. Butch looked at Buttercup, raised a hand and wondered if he should offer to carry her. But he didn't, because he knew she wouldn't like it, being dependent. 

Butch looked at Brick, who looked very, very pensive. He looked more alive than anyone else in the group. "How long do you think you have to rest? Give me a number I can work with," he said, looking at Boomer. 

"Maybe three?" Boomer said, unsure. 

"Six hours minimum," Butch said roughly. "Brick,  _six hours minimum."_ He glanced at Buttercup and Bubbles to find both of them glaring at him angrily. He wondered what he did wrong this time. 

 _"Six hours?"_ Buttercup echoed, fuming. "Butch, my sister has been abducted by probably the most disgusting asshole on earth and you want us to take a rest for  _six fucking hours?_ Are you  _shitting_ me?" She hurled a finger at Butch, stomping forward. "Butch, Butch,  _listen to me._ You have no idea what a dickhead that fucking asshole is? If you knew,  _if you knew,_ you wouldn't dare talk about wasting time. Three hours, that's it." And she walked a little away, took a sharp inhale and collapsed in the spot. 

"Christ, Buttercup!" Butch lunged forward, grabbing her. "Oh god." 

"Well, good news," Boomer said. "We're here." He looked at Bubbles. "If you're going to collapse anytime, give me a heads up."

Bubbles shook her head and waved a dismissive hand, indicating that she was fine. She looked at Boomer, wondering how he was managing. Her legs felt wobbly by each step. She could feel her powers surging into her veins but they felt like poison to her. It almost killed her. She wondered what it would be like in Boomer's shoes. He was basically at the brink of death when she'd first saw him and he should be beyond death by now at this point. She wondered how he was still alive.

"Buttercup, just, yelled too much," Bubbles said. She knew she sounded a little unstable, like she was high. 

Boomer turned to her with a raised eye brow while Butch carried Buttercup into underground bunker. Brick followed Butch, murmuring something about plans and rescue. Bubbles knew that Boomer didn't show any emotions on his face that moment but he was  _skeptical._ He was  _dubious._ She knew that much from his raised eye brow. 

"What?" Bubbles shrugged. She sounded like she was  _drunk._ And she hated it. 

"You sound - " 

"I know I sound crazy, but I promise you, I'm feeling fine," Bubbles meant this. She sounded drunk, she sounded high, but she was completely fine. She could think straight and stuff. Her body ached and hurt, but she was still fine. 

Boomer shrugged. "The entrance is here, get in, I have to close the door." 

"Right, right," Bubbles mumbled as she walked down to what seemed like a shady basement. She thought everything was really, really dark but realized it was just something with her eyes. As time passed, the light returned and she could see things. 

"Bubbles?" Boomer asked behind her. "Is something wrong?" 

Bubbles thought she imagined it, the small speck of genuine concern in his voice. No, it was probably real. They were all in this together, they were all working together for survival. It was natural to be concerned for a teammate, regardless of whether or not you hated them. She nodded and walked on, looking around. "Wow, you guys patched up this place nicely," she managed to say without her voice cracking. 

It seemed like a playroom, an old playroom. Abandoned skateboards were everywhere, frames of pictures and paper, notebooks, pencils were all lying around. Bubbles figured out that the Rowdyruff Boys must've used this place when they were in school. Cans of spray paint were left in corners. There were unlit candles rather than lamps. This place probably didn't have electricity, she guessed. 

"You can go to that door," Boomer directed. "That's where the beds are." 

Bubbles noticed a door, and heard Brick's voice giving instructions. She headed in that direction when stopped when she thought she kicked something. She picked up the piece of paper and turned it around to read it. Her heart stopped. 

_I'm back. I hope you're fine, too. I'll leave soon, don't worry about me. Missed you._

Those words were vaguely familiar. She recognized the handwriting, it was Boomer's. And she knew where she had seen a similar piece of paper and saw this exact handwriting. Under the brick, where they promised to leave a note. But what was this? Her eyes found a different one beside it and Bubbles picked that one up as well and read it. 

_I'm back. I hope you're fine, too. I'll leave soon. I miss you._

It was similar words, similar message, everything worded a little differently. Bubbles frowned, wondering what this was all about. Why would Boomer write basically the same message again and again? Maybe he thought he lost the first message and wrote it again. No, that didn't make sense. And Bubbles remembered what was actually on the paper.  _I'm back. I hope you're fine, too. I'll leave soon, don't worry._ This message was far more summarized. And he didn't write about how he missed her. 

And when the realization hit Bubbles, she turned to Boomer. He was lighting candles with his powers and the blue flames danced on the tip of the wax. They were  _drafts._ Boomer had written them again and again because he didn't know what to write. She knew he would do that, he would. Her hands trembled a little. And that meant he meant it. He had missed her. He did. 

"Hey," Boomer said. "What are you - " His eyes raked across her hands and the notes. " - doing?" 

"Did you write this?" Bubbles opened her mouth. "Boomer, did you write this?" Her voice was shaking. 

Boomer frowned, marching up to her. He took the papers from her hands and tore it to pieces. He looked at Bubbles with a puzzled expression, almost smiling in the confused way. He gestured at the open door way, the light flooding from it, urging her to go. Bubbles couldn't take her eyes off him, his eyes watching his face. Boomer raised an eye brow, "Who else?" 

"You, you  _missed_ me?" Bubbles said, her voice cracking. "Boomer, do you miss me?" 

Boomer looked at her and opened his mouth. But before she could say anything, she felt the world spin around her. She fell forward, into his arms. She thought she saw this look of exhaustion in his eyes, this face that said something similar to  _ugh._ And regret washed over her. She fell into his arms and lost consciousness. She wished she walked a few more feet and collapsed on the bed in her own will. Being dependent on Boomer was sad. He looked like he hated it. 

Boomer looked at the girl in his arms, watching her breath soundly. He picked her up bridal style and trudged into the room and placed down on the bed. Then he walked out to their "living room" which consisted a single carpet. Butch looked up and asked, "You can stop now." 

"Stop what?" Boomer asked even though he already knew the answer. 

"Pretending like nothing hurts you," Butch answered. 

Boomer smirked. Everything hurt. The very moment he opened his eyes and saw Bubbles, he was hurt. The moment the laser hit his chip, he was hurt. He was always hurt. Everything in his body was constantly exploding. He thought if he didn't focus very, very hard, he could probably just die right there. He thought he could just fall dead right there. He looked down at his hands, watching it tremble. 

"I think I'm going to die," Boomer breathed, clutching his head. 

"We know," Brick muttered. "You're going to die." 

Boomer sat down and leaned on the wall. He closed his eyes. "I know," he said, laughter escaping his lips. He breathed in once, feeling the sleepiness wash over him. He didn't fight it, his body relaxed. His clenched hands lost its grip and there were crescent marks on the palm of his hands. Brick watched his brother fall asleep, maybe for a very long time. He tapped Butch on the shoulder. 

"What?" Butch said. 

"I have a plan," Brick started. "Hear me out." 

* * *

 

Blossom thought she could hear it, Brick screaming. She winced and looked back one more time, expecting to see an explosion of some sort. But everything was so dark, darker than anything she had ever seen. She coldly glanced at Dexter, who was sitting beside her. His fixed eyes gleamed in the dark and he smirked. Blossom gave him a steely look and snapped, "Are you going to keep your promise?" 

"Yes, I won't touch any of them ever again," Dexter smiled. "Even Brick." 

"Thank you," Blossom said, relief washing over her. "And in return you want me to... live with you?" 

"Yes," Dexter gave a bright smile. "Well, if I can, I wish you would be my personal, perfect doll. But that wouldn't be perfect, you know? I want us to start dating, have a grand proposal, and a lovely wedding. Have about three kids, live our happily ever after. The press would love us." He had a dreamy look plastered on his face and Blossom knew he meant every word he said -  _Dexter was a total psycho._

Could she handle it? Could she pretend to be in love with this person, even when she hated him so much? Could she stand up to the world, shoulders straight and chin held high, even when she was trembling with fear every moment? Could she face her sisters, tell them this was the best way?  _What will she tell Brick?_

Maybe this was how their story was supposed to end. Blossom didn't know when she knew. Not from the very beginning, of course. But still, it was a long time ago that she realized. The way Brick always looked out for her and the way she was inclined to do nice things. The way his eyes sparkled when he saw her. The way her heart beat when she saw him. The way her heart was torn when she had to let him go. She knew, she always knew. 

That she was in love with Brick Jojo.

"We should go out for a romantic dinner some time next week," Dexter clapped happily. "But before that, before any of that, I'm going to show you my dream house." He pointed out the window. "No one will find us here, Blossom. No one will disturb our love, Blossom! And you'll be safe here, even from your sisters." He had a wide grin, the one that sent chills down her spine. Blossom looked at Dexter in horror. 

"In here," Dexter continued. "You will be safe, even from yourself. You'll be safe and sound in here." 

A cage, Blossom thought. Dexter had made a cage for her. One where it was in the shape of a luxurious mansion. Blossom felt something sickening churn in her stomach. Her head went dizzy. She bit her lower lip and opened them. 

"Can I talk to my sisters?" 

Dexter looked pensive. "You can send a letter," he smiled. "Talking about how happy you are." 


End file.
